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Written by Ryan
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Thursday, 07 January 2010 08:19 |
 I used to not mind the sign guy. Now he kind of creeps me out.
There was nothing exceptional about last night's game. That's what the Flyers are supposed to do to a team like the Leafs and they did it. No rewards or encouragement for just doing what you're supposed to do.
But that is a 5-1-1 run that has the team above .500 for the first time since Laviolette was hired, and 7-8-1 under the new coach. Whether the Flyers recent 5-1-1 stretch is an anomaly or what everyone is hoping for, if not flat out declaring, and the Flyers are really settling under Laviolette's new system will be discovered over the next two or three weeks.
I want to take a timeout from being the stern dominatrix for a second and ask everyone a question - can someone lead me to an article or post on the origins of the ice scoop celebration? Carcillo's last night was the best one I've seen yet, and the first time I actually remember seeing something like it was when Richards scored on the Penalty shot against the Caps during the 2008 playoffs. I even remember him being asked about it in an interview and he said he had no idea what it was. But the kids in the WJC were doing it almost every time they scored, which leads me to think kids all over the country are doing it. I know it's become a "thing" in the NHL, but was just wondering if anyone had more on it. I don't particularly care for it. More of a Lindros arms straight up kind of guy. But I haven't had anything to celebrate in a long, long time.
Back to work.
I'm especially not impressed with the 7 goals given up in the last 3 third periods and overtime. And I'm very unimpressed with Scott Hartnell's hair, but happy to see his rage starting to boil over lately, even if it's just because people are basically coming after him. But at least the locker room probably isn't morbid these days….
s
Okkervil River concert or Pens-Flyers? Okkervil River or Pens…?
s
Oh yeah, and my favorite Danny Briere quote of all time:
I'm sure the 7 glasses of shiraz he had afterwards to celebrate helped give that buzz a heartbeat again. |
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Written by Ryan
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Wednesday, 06 January 2010 16:55 |
Late Wednesday afternoon thought from work, during a week in which I haven't been sure what day it's been yet.
If a good/average NHL career is, let's say, 12 years and the average normal person's working career is about 40 years, that's a 3.33:1 ratio.
Let me tell you this. I don't know if I just thought it was so cool to be out on my own. Or I was just so bright-eyed and eager to please people at work. Or I was just naive maybe. But my stat line my rookie year would have looked like this:
Games - 82
Goals - 29
Assists - 44
Points - 73
PIM - 85
I shit you not. Fucking Calder winner.
But I'm kind of in a sophomore slump this season at the 2/3 mark:
Games - 54
Goals - 16
Assists - 19
Points - 35
PIM - 77
It looks like I'm going to brake the 50 point mark, but I don't think anyone's happy with it. Least of all me.
So maybe I shouldn't be so hard on the Flyers who are sucking it up. As Fran pointed out earlier, it is their job. Maybe they sometimes have a case of the Monday's? Like when their shots continually get deflected into the crowd over the course of 4 months.
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Written by Fran
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Wednesday, 06 January 2010 11:51 |
Last night was the best hockey game I've seen in a year. To see two teams locked in a fast paced chess match to the death was something I frankly wasn't ready for. That game was as close to a Rocky Balboa fight on ice that could have ever been. The last time I literally jumped out of my seat while watching hockey, Claude Giroux slid a no-look pass to a wide open Gagne to beat Marc-Andre Fluery in early 2009. The junior teams of Canada and the United States put on a spectacle last night, showing hockey in its most pure, happiest form. I felt like I was a part of team USA last night. I wanted to jump into that pile and give my teammates the ol' stinky glove to the face. I felt like I belonged because I was watching people have the most fun of their lives, overcoming something that nobody really thought they could. Somehow it connected with me. It made me proud to root for a team. Proud because no matter what the outcome of the game, team USA left all their guts and heart on that Saskatoon ice. They won gold because they earned it. Now....what do I get as an encore? I get to watch the Philadelphia Flyers and the Toronto Maple Leafs battle for the 11th seed in the East.
Don't get me wrong, this game is important. It's important for Philly to beat Toronto. This is a game that two points should almost be a gimmie. The Flyers are a better team than Toronto. They have been playing better as of late and a win will keep pace with the other teams fighting for a playoff seed. January is full of home games, with nine of our next twelve in Philly. This month will make or break the Flyers, and an important tilt taks place tonight at 7pm. Thing is, I'm not that excited. Maybe some coffee will break me out of my funk, maybe I'm drained from last night's gold medal match, or maybe it's that I am not invested in the Flyers at all anymore. Watching the US junior team, I was pulling for guys I didn't even know. I kept flipping between the game and hockeydb.com, trying to get a beat on who these little dynamos are. Carlson, Kreider, D'Amigo, Stepan...in a little under 70 minutes I was more invested in them than a team I've watched over 40 times this season. I know the stage is a lot different. Gunning for a gold medal will cause any team to play with that kind of fire...
Being a Philly fan, it was easy watching the US team during the World Juniors. That kind of emotion and energy is what we live for. We root for players who give it their all. Brian Dawkins, Keith Primeau, Rich Tocchet, Allen Iverson, Dave Schultz, Michael Jack Schmidt. Guys whose fire burned so bright it spread to their teammates. I do not think I'm in the minority saying that these 2009-2010 Flyers are lacking this emotion we crave. Sure, Lappy, Betts and Carbomb are doing their part, and Asham is having a great year, but the fire we need is from a leader. Those four guys are role-players, and damn good ones at that. We need the faces of the franchise to step into their role and lead by example. In order to salvage this season, we need Richards, Carter, Gagne and Brierec - the core of the franchise - to get back to playing with the heart their little Canadian brethren just showed us. To play as much for a paycheck as for the love of the game. To get back to having fun. This team has tons of talent, but it's their desire that I'll be watching for tonight. (Please don't confuse a big mop of red hair wedged underneath a white helmet for desire, that's more a kick in the balls at this point)
Until I see the emotion that Canada/US displayed last night in the eyes of the Flyers, this is not a team that I can jump off my couch for. Play with heart, with energy, and with passion, and I don't care if Toronto scores 20 goals tonight, I'll be proud to root for my Orange & Black. Let's Go Flyers. |
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Written by Ryan
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Wednesday, 06 January 2010 08:10 |
 Brokeback Gold
When a new word has taken over for "epic" as a word used to describe anything meaningful I will still remember the hockey game I watched last night. Experiencing the small thrill of a group of 20 year old Americans winning the World Junior Championships last night in overtime made me realize it was probably a good thing I wasn't alive for the Miracle on ice, because whoever's shit-stained couch I was sitting on would not have been pleased after Mike Eruzione snuck a snapper past Vladimir Myshkin with 10 minutes to go in the third. The vomiting until the end of the game would have probably just been annoying.
If you didn't watch the game last night I've embedded just the third period highlights below, but you should do your best to watch the rebroadcast tonight on the NHL Network. If you don't have the NHL Network you might want to submit a urine sample to your doctor and see if you're an actual hockey fan.
You knew that Canada was going to come back and tie it, as improbable as it seemed. It was a forgone conclusion even though there were 5 minutes left and the U.S. had a two goal lead. But you also knew that Canada was going to win in overtime. Which made Jack Campbell's kick save and the resulting three-on-one for Team USA that much more of a reason to lead toward the edge of your seat. And John Carlson's no look Gold Medal winner reason to jump out of it.
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Written by Ryan
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Tuesday, 05 January 2010 13:08 |
Does this make you horny?
Keep in mind that the ONE free agent we wanted during the off season, Todd Bertuzzi, has 12 goals and 13 assists in 41 games for a struggling Red Wing's team this season. Which would put him in a tie for 4th among Flyers in points. All for the paltry cost of $1.5M.
So we're right all the time.
If the articles going around the circuit today are any indication we could probably get Kovalchuk for Carter by sundown.
And for those of you (90%) that think this team just doesn’t have the chemistry to win it, consider Ilya Kovalchuk a huge Russian black market chemistry set in contract year that will explode goals all over the opposition's faces when he is moved.
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Written by Ryan
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Tuesday, 05 January 2010 07:30 |
THIS IS AN ENTIRELY SATIRICAL POST. NONE OF THE QUOTES ARE REAL. I MADE THEM ALL UP. LIKE THE ONION DOES. ONLY BETTER. POWER TO THE PEOPLE! AND POWER TO THE MAN!
Scott Hartnell is ready for the Olympics. Although he was shocked to find out last Wednesday that he had not been selected to the Canadian Olympic team he was able to find the silver lining during an interview from the penalty box on Sunday afternoon (AGAIN, THAT IS NOT TRUE. I WAS NOT IN OTTAWA ON SUNDAY AND CERTAINLY DID NOT HAVE ACCESS TO INTERVIEW SCOTT HARTNELL WHILE HE WAS SERVING HIS ROUGHING MINOR).
"It was difficult to stomach at first," Hartnell admitted while stealing glances at Flyers coach Peter Laviollete across the ice," but the two weeks off will be much needed. Because I'm ready to fucking party."
Hartnell said plans were already in the works to head down to Mexico with Jeff Carter and Scottie Upshall. Patrick Thoresen is apparently considering skipping the Olympics because the trip sounds like such a great opportunity to hit up some indoor spaces while keeping your sunglasses on. Hartnell wasn't sure where they were going yet, but said the plans were in capable hands.
"Where's that place Tony Romano went with Jessica Simpson? Dos Caminos? I think Scottie is setting us up with place down there."
Hartnell said he was "totally shocked" that his 9 goals this season weren't enough to land him on at least the third line for Team Canada.
"I had Ryan Potulny edged out by one goal so I thought I was a shoe-in. Did he make it by the way? Wait, is he even Canadian? Anyway, I don't know who's going to take their minor penalties for them. I guess Steve Yzerman doesn't want to get all he can out of his penalty killers. That's something the fans are going to miss. The thrill of a good penalty kill. And my hair. They'll obviously miss that too."
But he remembers his time off in 2006 fondly (MAYBE HE DOES, I DON'T KNOW BECAUSE I'VE NEVER TALKED TO HIM).
"Man, I was playing for Nashville in 2006 and a bunch of us went to Seaside Heights, NJ back when that was still a relatively unknown destination for the world's elite. I must have done 200 shooters. The real ones - out of the test tubes."
As time was running out on his minor I tried to squeeze in one more question but he didn't hear me as he begun to count down out loud.
"Ready? Hold on…ok…3…2…1…look at my hair! Look at my hair! I'm flying!" and the door shut leaving me in the penalty box with a very ill-tempered old man (NOPE, I WAS AT HOME SITTING IN THE CORNER OF OUR LIVING ROOM ON THE RED CHAIR DRINKING SPRITE ZERO AND EATING PRETZELS.)
So it looks like Scott Hartnell has a plan for the next 6 weeks - just get by and then enjoy the rays.
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Written by Ryan
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Monday, 04 January 2010 10:36 |
As if it turning 2010 wasn't enough last night I was going through some old OHL priority draft selections (please don't ask me why) and I saw something that blew my mind. My old, old mind.
The last time I saw Julian Ciocco he must have been about 5. I can actually remember him motoring around the ice at the old Coliseum in Voorhees during some clinic that me and his brothers were working. Truth is while I followed the middle Ciocco's career from afar and wondered what the oldest, a former teammate of mine, was up to these days, I had kind of forgotten that the youngest even existed. You see, being 12 years older than him, we weren't exactly best friends, even though he was probably as good as I was in 1997 (and possibly more sexually advanced with the ladies). So when I saw that Julian had been drafted in the third round of the OHL Draft by the Guelph Storm in 2008 I shit my diaper and nearly choked on a Werther's Original. The truth was this is something that has been coming for some time now - something I maybe should have been looking for.
The Cioccos are, or at least back when I knew them were, a modest family from Atco, NJ. Jody, the father of three, ran an auto shop off the corner of Route 73 and Cooper Road and I was lucky enough (or maybe my parents were) to often grab a ride to practice in the back of his piece de resistance, a Suburban that rivaled Big foot and was the envy of all the kids on our team. His eldest son, Joe, and I were pretty big rivals back in Pee Wees during a time when most kids would stay local to play their travel hockey and there was a lot less information about what was available. Everyone was aware there was a Metro League up in Boston that was pretty good and we played teams like the Syracuse Stars and the Rochester Americans in tournaments where they would hand us our asses, but we were our local travel league and that was that. It really was that simple.
All that changed when the powers that be decided to get involved in the very famous and very fun Quebec Pee Wee Tournament in the early '90's. After sending up a team consisting mainly of just Junior Flyers Bantams in 1993 (due to age differences between USA Hockey and Hockey Canada) that played in an international division where they were embarrassed and didn't win a game, the region decided they needed to send a stronger club up in 1994 - the best that the Junior Flyers had to offer. So that's what they did. They sent up a mixture of Bantams and Pee Wees that represented the best of the Junior Flyers and dropped down a division to the NHL Division, where clubs representing NHL teams competed (shocker). Still the results were no good. These other teams like the Edmonton Oilers, the New York Rangers, and the Chicago Blackhawks were sending select teams to Quebec back when there really was no such thing as Select 14, 15, and 16 in the US. Or if there was it was in its developmental stage. So heading into 1995 it was decided that an open tryout was going to be held for the Philadelphia Flyers sponsored team that was heading to Quebec - this time to win. And that's how I met Joe Ciocco (although I swear it was Jo back then).
We made it to the finals, eventually losing to the Hartford Whalers (you should have seen those kids' faces when they were told they had to move their families to Carolina!) but the success got people thinking. And whatever happened in the snack rooms of local rinks over Styrofoam cups of coffee or maybe even in the bars of Quebec city that February, all of us kids were at the tryouts for the Valley Forge Colonials the next season to play under Jimmy Watson. The following year the Colonials became the Minutemen and the select concept grew stronger. And the team won more tournaments and even the league championship (although we got kicked out of Nationals for an "error" in our roster that I'd rather not get into).
So I played 2+ years with Joe and we were fast friends. We were 2 of the 3 kids from New Jersey on the team so we spent a lot of time car pooling all over the East Coast. There was a rumor that the third kid from Jersey lived off the remains of adults he killed and kept in his basement, and we couldn't prove it to be false, so we stuck together and I got to know his family pretty well.
Where we were decent his younger brother, Josh, was good. Like dirty good. When you're 15 a 13 year old seems like a toddler to you, but Josh was shifty and gritty and had a really artistic way about him when he had the puck. A real mean streak without it. He wore Megas just like Lemieux, and his evasive puck handling reminded me of The Magnificent One.
Just after I turned 15 I left for a New England prep school back when you were told leaving the area was required if you wanted to "make it" - whatever your definition of "it" may be. The Delaware Valley was considered a hockey dead zone by people in the know so if you had hopes of ever playing outside the DV you left. Joe was a grade younger than me and headed to Kimball Union Academy in New Hampshire a year later. Joe and I stayed in touch, both probably feeling a bit like fish out of New Jersey water, which is how I found out that his younger brother had already gone off to play at Berkshire Academy in western Mass. And from what I heard he was doing pretty well. We actually played against them during a Christmas tournament and even as a freshman you could tell he was better than most kids on the ice. The next year he took a step that very few Americans did back then and headed to Canada to play Junior A hockey, first in the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League and the British Columbia Hockey League. After a decent season in 2000 and a good season in 2001, Josh had a great season in 2002 where he notched 81 points in 57 games on the Salmon Arm Silverbacks. That earned him a letter of intent with the University of New Hampshire. The Cioccos were moving up.
After struggling out of the gate his freshman year and only dressing for about 1/2 of UNH's games Josh would serve as the team's captain his senior year and put up 53 points over the following 3 seasons. While his brother Joe had also taken the college step at Neumann Josh advanced the cause a level further and left for the ECHL immediately after his senior season ended, and then played the full 2007-08 season with the Fresno Falcons before retiring and heading back to get his masters at UNH in 2008.
Which brings me to Julian. The kid has been places. In 2006 Julian went out to the esteemed Shattuck St. Mary's in Minnesota before coming back east for the 2007-08 season with the Philadelphia Little Flyers Bantam Major team where he had a very successful season and led all defensemen in scoring. That performance was good enough to earn Julian a spot on one of the best perennial New England prep school teams, Cushing Academy, for the 2008-09 season. And his performance at Cushing was enough to get him drafted in the third round of the OHL draft - no small achievement for an American. Major Junior teams usually reserve their later picks for American kids as there is always a serious chance they'll never come to the CHL, because it means you forfeit your NCAA eligibility.
After standing out at rookie camp in Guelph and signing with the Storm and signing shortly there after Julian headed back to New Jersey only a couple of days into official training camp for reasons unknown. I wouldn't begin to speculate why but a reporter at the Guelph Mercury received an email from Mr. Ciocco in the middle of December stating that Julian was going to begin to play with the Philadelphia Little Flyers midget 16 team. Which coincidentally last night was his first game.
So far for the Cioccos it's been a real story of progress. First Joe making the jump to prep school and then the college game, then Josh testing out Canadian Junior A, Division 1 College hockey, and finally the ECHL, and now Julian getting drafted into Major Junior. Hopefully Julian's time off has helped him heal any injuries or clear his mind, and he continues to pursue that next level. If he picks up where he left off and continues to develop he could become the first Ciocco drafted into the NHL come the summer of 2011. A long ways away from the days his oldest brother manned the blue line at Edgewood High School.
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Written by Ryan
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Sunday, 03 January 2010 15:48 |
 That was hardly worth clearing customs.
Mike Richards, Simon Gagne, and Claude Giroux were a combined -15. How the hell is that possible? Head on over to Philly.com if you want to hear some quotes about working harder and not bearing down, but the only question the entire team needs to be asked repeatedly is What the fuck was that? What the fuck was that? WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?
The Flyers problem right now, as a team, is that they have no idea what to do when their first option is eliminated. Chris Kelly's second goal is a clear example of that. Bartulis wants to put the puck off the boards to his partner. He really wants to. He wants to so much that even though Jarkko Ruutu is protecting the boards like a goalie, leaving all the other ice on the rink open, Bartulis still hopes to sneak the chip through. Goal.
The defense hopes their wrap around gets to the forward on the boards. The forward hopes his chip will get out of the zone and a linemate will get to it, and then if all that happens they hope their cross ice pass to the trailer on a 3-on-3 won't get deflected out of the offensive zone.
The Flyers have one of the worst break outs in the NHL right now.
The Flyers have the weakest play in front of their own net in the NHL right now.
The Flyers are the worst at getting to pucks first in the NHL right now.
The Flyers are the worst at making a hockey play when the actually do manage to get to a puck first right now.
The Flyers forwards are the worst at eliminating the pass to the point man in the NHL right now.
The Flyers are the worst at cycling in the NHL right now.
Weak and wide - the NHL Network announcers hit the nail right on the head. JVR needs to be sent down to the AHL because he's not getting anything done in the NHL anymore.
Picture the Flyers as a lacrosse team that just throws the ball to a part of the field becuase they just don't have the balls, cleverness, or smarts to find someone who wants that pass. Would like pretty stupid wouldn't it.
The forwards need to pull their heads out of their asses. Defensemen are referred to as quarterbacks for a reason, and it's not just because of their role on the powerplay. On a controlled breakout when a d-man steps around his net, looks up and Desean Jackson is standing still next to a corner back, Brett Celek is jogging slowly between two linebackers, and Jason Avant is standing in the end zone next to the safety what exactly are you supposed to do?
These guys need to be shaken up by a trade. Without a doubt. Jeff Carter is worthless out there, Paul Holmgren needs to see if maybe there's a GM left in the NHL that isn't aware of that yet. |
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Written by Fran
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Sunday, 03 January 2010 11:34 |
In a couple of hours the Flyers get to put all that Winter Classic mumbo-jumbo behind them and get back to playing indoor professional hockey...without any goddam "Sweet Caroline" third period stoppages. Today, the Flyers are in Ottawa to battle the Sens for an important two points. Let's get for real for serious extreme-focus, SAT-prepping serious right now, as all points from here on out are, as my 5th grade teacher used to say, "uuuuge." This is already the third matchup of the season between the Flyers and Sens. Each team has won a game, and with Ottawa playing some good hockey, the Sens find themselves in 5th place right now. 5 points seperate the Sens and Flyers, and for Philly, it's extremely important to keep the good vibes rollin' and grab points whenever possible.
After a horrendous start to December, the Flyers have battled back and started playing up to their potential again. Currently on a 6 game road trip, the Flyers are 4-0-1, looking to end on a high note. We can all agree that over these past 5 games we've seen a much more determined team. The forchecking, outlet passing, goaltending and shot-blocking have all been great. It feels so good to have Gagne, Powe and Betts back. The lines feel complete, and players look to be in the right places. There have been a bunch of positives, yet some areas are still of a concern. The powerplay has been a big issue for over a month. To me, it feels like the Flyers are using these 2 minutes to catch their breath, instead of attack. The diamond set up with Pronger up top is the most desirable strategy, especially with Richards and Gagne on the sideboards. The second PP unit is more or less playing straight up 5-on-4. It may be the identity of Hartnell and Carter we'll have to come to grips with. They play their game and don't switch gears all that much throughout a game. I think special teams will win or lose this game, and we'll be watching the Flyers powerplay for signs of life.
The Sens are playing good hockey in spite of the loss of Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson. Me thinks the same way the Flyers rallied around a waiver wire goalie in Michael Leighton, the Senators are doing the same with their young core. Well that, and Mr. Underwood Mike Fisher. Fisher, and the resurgance of Jonathan Cheechoo/Shean Donavan have the Senators competing every night. They remind me of the Isles...kinda gunning for overtime to see what chances they have there. The Sens have talent on the ice and enough moxie to give the Flyers fits. It'll be a tense first 10 minutes and that will give us an idea as to the psyche of Philly and how they'll respond to a frustrating end to the Winter Classic.
Second half of hockey starts today. I still hate the Senators, for whatever reason. I hate them for Zdeno Chara, for Dany Heatley and for Rob Ray. Regardless of getting a point, the Flyers should be pissed they left the second one on the ice in Boston. Are you all ready for the craziest second half of hockey in years? We sure as hell are. Let's Go Flyers.
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